The Theories Behind Waldorf Handwork

I have read some excellent articles on the ideas behind teaching Handwork in the Waldorf Curriculum.  However, I have not read Rudolf Steiner's ideas in the original so, in a world where everything seems to cost, it's great to get hold of a digital copy of his out of print book completely free of charge.  Now all I need is some time to read it!  Rudolf Steiner Handwork Book.

At the same source, I found this article on waldorf handwork The Human Hand: Its activities and role in education.

So now I have linked up to those theory based works, I can leave them until I feel more in my head and go back to looking up beautiful handwork projects to inspire my heart.

Teaching through story telling

Right now I'm trying to collect and create stories to teach with.  I have come across a few written down online (including the finger knitting sheep one) but nothing beats a live retelling so I was delighted to find this video on youtube

The beginnings of an idea - knitting needle tops

I have just come across this blog entry on The Indigo Rabbit for knitting needle tops I had been wanting to find an alternative to beads for the top of the children's homemade knitting needles and this looks fantastic.  However, it may be harder to achieve than it looks and I'll have to try it for myself.
Obviously, this would need some adapting.  For one, I'd be a little too nervous letting the children loose with felting needles so we could maybe do it using wet felting techniques.  Maybe we could use fleece from different coloured sheep and blend the colours together?  An exciting idea but will it work?  If not this could be worth saving for older children.  I just love the beautiful designs on the indigo rabbit!

Planning Ideas 2 - Spinning

I thought it would be a nice idea to show the children how to spin with a stone.  Question is, will I be able to spin with a stone?!!  Something for me to practise I think.
Stone Spinning

Planning Ideas 1 - Making Knitting Needles

I have been spending the last couple of weeks searching the internet for resources.  There is some good stuff out there but you do need to search for it and there's a part of me that worries that I won't find it when I need it.  I have therefore decided to use this blog to put some links down for the projects that I am planning to do.

How to make your own knitting needles
More ideas for making knitting needles

Get Connected

When I first went into teaching, it was because I believed I could make a difference to the world.  At that time, I was particularly concerned about discrimination and I believed that I could help to prevent that by opening children's awareness to the depth and variety of human experience.  I felt that, through this, they could more easily connect to and empathise with people of different races, backgrounds and beliefs.

In today's materialistic society, I worry that there is more than just a lack of connection to other people.  We have lost our connection to the earth, to nature and to ourselves.  I believe that handwork can help in all these areas.  Through working with and understanding raw materials, we come to value the earth from which they come and in valuing this, we will want to protect it.  In working through the various processes involved in creating, we come to value the skills of the crafts men and women from all around the earth and we become interested in paying them a fair price for that which they create.  Finally, in working through our ideas and developing our skills we come to value ourselves as creative and productive beings.

For me, these ideas are at the heart of handwork teaching and I hope to keep them alive in the classroom so that the children will learn to value and respect themselves, others and our world.

Opening and Closing Verse

May our hands complete our task with patience,
May our work be done with care.
May our fingers work as friends together
May we our friendship share.

Our hands have completed their tasks with patience,
Our work has been done with care.
Our fingers have worked as friends together
And we have our friendship shared.

For teaching handwork, I am going to need to learn a few verses.  I am going to learn my casting on and knitting verses fairly easily by repeating them to myself when I'm knitting these holidays.  However, I really need to learn this verse which we will say at the start and end of each handwork session.  Hopefully, posting it here will remind me!

Beginnings

Beginnings are exciting and terrifying at the same time.  For me, there are more beginnings at play than the beginning of this blog.  I am embarking on a new adventure.  I am a trained mainstream teacher but I am about to begin my journey down the Waldorf path of teaching.  I am also about to begin to teach handwork - a subject that I love but that I have never taught before.  Not only that, but the setting in which I am work is the very beginning of a new Waldorf school.  Oh yes, I am terrified but I am also very, very excited!!!